2008 Lamborghini Reventón

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I’m pulling a three-point turn on a rural Italian road and rearward visibility is sparse, to say the least.

The exhaust note of the thirsty V12 reverberates through the cabin, and I’m praying to dear God that an

 overzealous Fiat Punto isn’t about to roar around the bend and T-bone my test car.

You see, I’m behind the wheel of a prototype of the Lamborghini Reventón,

number 0 of 20. All 20 units have been pre-sold for a stunning $1.4 million each, but since I’m

driving the only one in existence, it may as well be priceless.

The Pirelli tires kiss the edge of the shoulder as I merge onto the road, and

my Lambo lurches ahead as premium fuel hits the 12 screaming cylinders on display

beneath louvered glass. Three-point turns aren’t usually associated with a

seven-figure sports car, but then again, maneuvering a Reventón safely at low speeds is

as crucial as making sure you don’t spin out at 120 mph. Welcome to supercar reality.

Cruising past an alley of cypress trees, it’s easy to forget you’re piloting what is

essentially an earthbound spacecraft. Apart from the customizable TFT liquid

crystal display, butter soft olive green Alcantara and carbon fiber trim, life inside the

Reventón is downright manageable if you’re discriminating with your right foot.

Old ladies gawk, schoolboys wave their arms like windmills and grown men shamelessly

pull over and whip out their camera phones, but life is otherwise understated from

inside this Lambo… until you drop the hammer.

The howl is unmistakable and the sensation seductive: 487 lb.-ft. of torque shove

you into the firm carbon fiber seats and 650 horsepower peak at a deafening 8,000 rpm.

Once you bury the right pedal, you might start to comprehend the rare creature

that is the Reventón and the mechanical demons that possess this carbon-bodied beast.

Like the Murciélago LP640 it’s based on, the Reventón features all-wheel drive,

a sequential eGear transmission and 6.5 liters of unmitigated motivation. Unlike the LP640,

though, the Reventón’s styling is inspired by an F22 Raptor fighter jet, which translates

into matte green/gray paint, massive parallelogram-shaped scoops and inlets, and no curves.

The only external pieces it shares with the LP640 are its side mirrors and glass.

Eighteen inch carbon-accented rims display enormous, cross-drilled carbon

ceramic rotors, and their stopping powers are dramatic: when I brake to setup for a hairpin,

my passenger (who happens to be shooting video and admittedly is not

strapped in with a seatbelt), nearly goes through the windshield; the brakes are that strong.

Should you overbrake, have no fear—you’ll make up for lost time with an effortless

stroke of the accelerator pedal. The Reventón’s capabilities are deceptive because

of its economies of scale; rev to 6,000 rpm, for instance, and the effect is dramatic.

Noise levels in the cabin spike. The vehicle is hustling along at a brisk pace.

You’re really feeling good about yourself, getting your ego stroked by this Italian

masterpiece that looks like it belongs in a museum, feels like it’s ready for the racetrack

and makes you look like Michael Schumacher. But, at 6,000 rpm, you’re only

using 75 percent of the powerband; those 12 lightweight pistons have another

2,000 rpm to spin before you make a fool of yourself and hit the rev limiter… but, those

last 2,000 rpm are arguably the most interesting because they violently whip you

against your seat and shoot this nearly two-ton piece of automotive audacity with

a forward movement that is both angry and breathtaking.

Handling dynamics are similarly intense, as this Lambo is connected to tarmac

via sticky 245/35 and 335/30 rubber that magnifies road imperfections with electron

microscope power. You’ll suffer bone-jarring shockwaves if you don’t look out for

potholes, but the upside is sure-footed grip that enforces the Reventón’s connection

to terra firma with stubborn tenacity. A viscous traction system ensures that all those

 horses are allocated to the best wheel for the job, and those duties will change

rapidly when this car is driven as hard and relentlessly as it begs to be.

But, there’s the rub; at $1.4 mil, the Reventón is essentially destined—or, depending

on your disposition—doomed to inhabit that curious title of “collector car.” Though its

hefty premium breaks down to a staggering $107,500 for each of its 10 extra horsepower,

this is not a vehicle that attracts mere mortals; it’s a passion purchase, a vehicle that

will go down in history as the most extreme Lamborghini to date, the purest expression‎

so far of this unrepentantly exotic brand. While my test car will eventually be relegated

to the Lamborghini museum in Sant’Agata’s company headquarters, there’s no telling

whether the remaining 20 specimens will be tucked away in private storage under

lock and key or actually driven in the real world, where circumstances sometimes

call for the occasional three-point turn. Maybe the lucky few will take it upon

themselves to celebrate this outrageous exotic by actually driving the thing. One can only hope.

[백작]

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